Plunger lift equipment



Feb. 7, 1933. H. w. FLETCHER PLUNGER LIFT EQUIPMENT Filed NOV. 2l, 1931 A 1. 9 m 7 6 5 V 8 F Y .nlfl! x mu HAROLD W, FLETCHER INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 7, 1933 HAROLD FLETCHER, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR TO HUGHES TOOL COMPANY,C

OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, A CORPORATION OF TEXAS rLUNGnR LIFT nenrriunnr Applcatonled November 21, 1931. Serial No. 576,525.

My invention relates to plunger Alift apparatus for raising liquid from deep wells,

wherein gas orair pressure is employed in lifting the plunger with its load of liquid to the surface.' It is designed Vas an improvement particularly of the device shown the prior application of Norman I-I. Rieker Se rial Number 443,013 filed April V10, 1980, patented February 9, 1932, No. 1,844,074.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device whereby the plunger may be retained at the upper end of its stroke by the pressure 0f the gas behind the load until the charge of gas has approximately exhausted. I desire to prevent the plunger from dropping into the rising blast of gas and being blown back again and also to prevent the falling of the plunger too quickly to the bottom before a head of liquid has risen above the plunger stop at the lower end of the tubing.

I so construct the outlet for the fluid from the eduction tube that the gas pressure on the plunger will serve to hold it in position against the side of the tube and thus prevent it from falling.

In the drawing herewith, Fig. 1 is a side view, largely in central vertical section, illustrating the application of the invention to the upper end of the installation.

Fig. 2 shows a central vertical section of the lower end of the eduction tube, in position in the well.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the plane 3-3'of Fig. 1. y The well in which my device may be employed is equippedl witha casing 1 which extends some distance into the well. A special casing head 2 is connected with the upper end of the casing, said head having a lateral pipe 4 connected therewith with a control valve 5 in said pipe. The pipe furnishes an inlet or outlet for pressure fluid such as gas when desired or when the pressure of gas in the well is insufficient.

Another pipe 12, joined to the casing, furnishes an outlet for the fluid being pumped.l

The upper end ofthe casing head is closed by a bonnet 3, the upper end of which is threaded to receive the upper extension 7 upon the eduction tube 8. Said extension is threaded at 6 to screw into said casing head y and form a seal therewith. Y

Said tubingextension'7 is equipped with a valve 10 by meansof which the plunger may be entrapped when desired in the upper end 9 of thetube which is Vclosed by a cap 12.

The eduction tube 8 has a head 13 support- Y ed upon ashoulderw14in the casing head and forming a seal therewith.` TheV upper endV of the head 13 has a sliding fit withthe tubing extension 7, and said extension is formed with outlet openings 15 therein on one'side only and extending along the extension for vapproximately the full length of the chamber 16 within the casing head. y

The lower end of the eduction tube 8 is connected witha strainer cap 17 by a special coui pling 18, having a cross shaped Vstop member 19 therein.y y V p p The plunger 20 is of the usual construction. It has ay tubular body connected at its lower end to a head 21 forming a support forth'e valve 23 when said valve is open and spaced below the valve seat 22. A stem 24 on the valve projects below the lsupport to engage. when the plunger drops the stop member 19 tothe bottom.

1 In the operation of the device the plunger in dropping to the bottom has its valve 23 open. It will fall through the head of liquid above the stop member and Vwhen the bottom is reached, the contact'of thevalve stem with Athe stop will close the valve. 'Ordinarily there will be gas from the wellv accumulating inthe well and when the pressure has reached a suiiicient value tolift the plunger and its load, the plunger will rise and discharge the discharge line 11. The plunger will be l encounter the gas escaping from behind they plunger. This gas is escaping at one side only of the tube and will vforce the plunger against the outlet'openin'gs and hold it there, obscuring some of the openings, until the gas has mostly escaped and the pressure is re-` Vliquid through the outlet openings 15 tothe y forced past the openings into the'clo'sed up- 4to hold said duced so as to allow the plunger to continue its fall.

rIhe plunger will be thus delayed until most of the gas has escaped and the head of liquid at the bottom has risen in the eduction tube above the stop 19 to obtain sufiicient load for the next stroke. In this way the plunger will not strike a dry seat at the bottom and thus injure the apparatus. Also there will be lno danger of the plunger being blown back by 'said tube, said tube Vhaving outlet openings therein on one side only, whereby the fluid pressure below said plunger will tend to hold said plunger' againstsaid openings.

. 2., In a plunger lift device, a well casing. a casing head thereon, an eduction tube in said casing projecting through said casing head and secured to the upper end thereof, a discharge line connected with said casing head,

said tube being formed with openings at one side only, a plunger operating from the lower end to the upper end of said tube through gas pressure, said gas pressure tending to hold said plunger against said openings until said gas pressure is approximately exhausted.

3. A fluid lift deviceincluding a wlell casing,'a casing head thereon, an eduction tube in said casing, a plunger operated by pneumatic pressure in said tube, the discharge end of said eduction tube being perforated to allow outlet of fluid at one side only, whereby the escape of pneumatic pressure will tend plunger against said perforated outlet. 4. In a'plunger lift, a well casing, an eduction tube therein, a plunger adapted to be raised with its load 'of liquid from the lower end of said tube to the upper end thereof by pneumatic pressure, a discharge line from said casing, and outlet openings in said tube to said discharge line at one side of said tube, the remainder of said tube adjacent its upper end being imperforate.

5. In a plunger lift, a well casing, an eduction-tube therein, a plunger adapted to be raised with its load of liquid from the lower end of said tube to the upper end thereof by pneumatic pressure, a Ydischarge line from said casing, and means automatically operating responsive to fluid pressure in said tube to restrain the downward movement of said plunger until the pneumatic pressure behind said plunger has been approximately exhausted.

6. In a plunger lift, a well casing, an educ- Y said tube, outlets from saidtube for fluid arranged so that escaping fluid will hold said yplunger adjacent said openings until said fluid has been approximately exhausted.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflixmy signature this the 2d day of November, A. D.

HAROLD W. FLETCHER. 

